Method of and apparatus for producing receptacles and the like



Nov. 8,- 1938.

Filed oct. 2s, 1956 i5 Sheets-Sheet l lu/vento@ Nov. A8, 1938. A l K. H. MILLER 2,136,308 I v METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PODUCING RECEPACLES AND THE LIKE v Filed oct. '25, 1936 3 sheets-sheet 2 #dvi l Nm

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Npv. s, 1938. l K H. WLLE'R" 2,136,308 i 'v'HOJ ANAL) APPARATUS FOR PEOLJUCUG REA'TACLES AND THE LIKE I i. Filed oct. 25, i956 1 3 sheets-sheet s 4f@ Y 0/r f Je.

fha/vinto? patented Nov. s, 193s UNITED STATES PA'FENTl AOFFICE.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUC- ING RECEPTACLES AND THE LIKE Karl H. Miller, Green Bay,` Wis., assignor to Kimberly Stuart, Neenah, Wis.

y Application october 2s, i936, serial'Nn. 107,294

11 Claims.

The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for producingreceptacles and the like and more particularly to methods and apparatus for making various utensils of sheet materials such asA paper, or paper'laminated with other materials, such as metal foil. l

Heretofore in the production of paper receptaclesof generally cup form, such as pie plates, for instance, it has been necessary to employ complicated and expensive vacuum forms' for molding the plates directly from paper pulp. 'I'hese plates, in addition to being costly to produce, have not possessed sufficient;l rigidity and durability to fully meet the requirements of thev trade.

It is accordingly a primary object of the present invention to providemethods of and apparatus for producing pie plates and other receptacles of paper in sheet form that will present a glood appearance, which will provide the necessary rigidity required, and yet which .are low in cost.

Another important object of the invention is to provide novel methods of and apparatus for producing receptacles and the like from'sheet material, which are pleated to take up the surplus material developed during the drawing operation,

and yet which will not openup after they have been in use. f

Y There is now available on the marketl a very high grade laminated material consisting of two aluminum vfoil sheets havingan interposed paper sheet. /This product is light and flexible and vyet possesses all of the desirableattributes' of metal, and it is another object of ytheinvention to providemethods of and apparatus for producing receptacles andthe like from this material. y, A further object of the invention is to provide a novel die assembly for producing receptacles and the like of sheet material.

A further object is to provide die assembly for producing receptacles of sheet material of generally cup form and having pleats in the sides thereof, the die assembly comprising a primary set of dies, wherein'the blank is so corrugated that when it is placed in a set of secondary dies the plate will be smoothly brought finto iinal form without rotating one die with respect to the other.

Another object of my invention is to provide novel blanks for use in making receptacles having an inclined wall of pleated formation, the

blank being so sloped that the finished article is caused to assume a generally circular shape, thereby compensating for the tendency ot the pleats to pull the articles into non-circular form.

Further objects of the invention will become the secondary dies of the invention and illustrates the dies in closed position into final form.

Figure 4 is a fragmental sectional view of the 15 dies shown in `Figure 3, but illustrates them in open position with a blank clamped between the gripping plates thereof preparatory to closing the dies thereupon.` V Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4, but illus- 20 ,i trates the parts as they appear when the dies" are partially closed, and the gripping plates are disf' posed vin lowered position.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figures 4 and 5. but illustrates the dies in a further closed position wherein die parts have formedl the sloping wall of the' plate and have formed the ilange thereof.

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6, but shows the dies substantially closed with the bottom and with the blank` drawn f side Wall of the plate nrmly gripped between the d dies and'with theflange of the plate bent down- Figure is a lfra'gmental sectional view of a modified orm of secondary die assembly forming part of the present invention and illustrates the parts as' they appear when the flange has been bent outwardly and downwardly by the ring die assembly.

Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 8, but illustrates the parts as they appear when the die is 4.0 in further closed position and the down-turned flange, has een bent inwardly by the segmental ring ass'em ly. f

'Figure 1,0 is a view similar to Figures/8 and 9, but shows the dies in final position with' the 45 ange turned y,upwardly against itself.

Figure 11 isla face view of a portio of a blank that is preferably used and forms par of the invention.

Figure V12 is a fragmental top plan view of a 5 slightly modied form of blank of the invention.

Figure 13 is a fragmental plan view of a fur-- ther modied blank ofthe present invention.

With continued reference to the drawings wherein like reference characters have been ernv ployed to designate like parts throughout the several figures thereof, the invention employs two sets of dies for forming the utensil. In Figures 1 and 2 the primary dies are illustrated, and in Figures 3 to 'l inclusive one form of secondary die assembly is shown.i

With continued reference to Figures 1 and 2, the, primary die assembly comprises a pair of dies I6 and II supported on bolsters I2 and I3 respectively in well known manner. The face of die I0 is generally convex and its side wall is serrated or is of saw-tooth form, having inclined portions I4 and vertical portions I5. The face of die II is generally concave and is provided with correspondingly inclined portions I1 and vertical portions I8 to mate with the inclined and vertical portions of die I0.

Mounted for vertical reciprocation upon die I8 by means of a shouldered bolt I9 sliding in a recess 2I in die I0 is a gripping plate 22. Encircling bolt member I9 is a compression spring 23 which urges plate 22 downwardly. Downward movement of bolt I9 is limited by reason of its head engaging the bottom of a recess 25 in die I0. As seen in Figure 1, the bottom face of die I0 is provided with a recess 26 into which gripping plate 22 may closely lit, so that when gripping plate 22 is in its Auppermost position it will cooperate with the lower face of die I0 to provide a smooth unbroken surface and dene the form.- ing face for the bottom of the plate.

A similar gripping plate 28 is associated with die II and is mounted upon a bolt 29 which is mounted for reciprocation in a recess 3| in die II. Gripping plate 28 is urged upwardly by a plurality of compression springs 32 disposed in bores 33 in die II and reacting against bolster I3. Plate 28 is limited in its upward movement by a collar 34 which is secured to bolt 29 by means of pin 35 or the like. The upper surface of die I I is provided with a recess 36 into which gripping plate 28 may snugly recede so as to cooperate with the die II and to dene a smooth bottom-forming surface when it is in its lowermost position. i

Although the invention may be applied to utensils of various forms and shapes, it has been illustrated as applied to the production of paper pie plates, for instance, ordinary paper stock or paper embodying two sheets of foil having an interposed fibrous layer of paper or the like. The term pie plate as hereinafter employed in the specification and as applied to the concrete embodiment illustrated should accordingly be understood as applicable to any other desired form or shape of plate which it is desired to produce by the present invention.

Although a special form of blank is preferably employed in the present invention, the die assembly is useful irrespective of the type of blank used and it will first be described assuming that any form of blank 38 is employed.

The blank 38 is placed in the proper position upon gripping plate 428 and dies I8 and II are brought together to cause gripping plates 22 and 28 to clamp the blanks therebetween. Either die I9 or die II may be the movable die or both dies may be movable as desired, and reference hereinafter to die movement is to be understood as embracing relative movement between the dies. As the dies arebrought together, plate 22, whose movement is opposed by a single spring 23, moves upwardly into recess 26 with the result that the blank lies in engagement with the whole lower surface of die I0.

In response to further movement of dies I 0 and II toward each other, springs 32 compress and allow gripping plate 28 to be brought into recess 36. As this occurs the saw-tooth formation4 of the die faces cause the blank to bend into corrugated form upon definite lines. When the dies are brought into the final position illustrated in Figure 2, the die possesses definite creases along the lines of the corrugations. The blank accordingly assumes the form of a generally cup-shaped receptacle having a corrugated or undulating sloping wall portion. The blank is now ready for introduction into the secondary dies. By forming the blank so as to have a corrugated surface as just described it is apparent that as it is placed under pressure it will fold into the form of closed pleats and that it is unnecessary to rotate one die with respect to the other.

The secondary die assembly comprises an upper die 4I and a lower die supported upon bolsters 43 and 44 respectively and a plate 42. Upper die 4I is secured to bolster 43 in any suitable manner and is equipped with a gripping plate 45 which is mounted upon a bolt member 46 which is in turn guided for reciprocation in a recess 41 in die 4I. Gripping plate 45 is urged downwardly by a plurality of compression springs 48 and downward movement thereof is limited by engagement of the head of bolt 46 with the top of die 4I Mounted for vertical reciprocation in an annular recess in die 4I vis a ring-shaped die 49. Threaded into the upper surface of die 49 at intervals around its periphery are a plurality of bolts 5I having washers 52 associated therewith. Bolts 5I pass through apertures 53 in bolster plate 43 and each bolt 5I is encircled by a spring 54 which reacts against the bolster and acts against Washers 52 to urge ring 49 downwardly so as to bring the heads of bolts 5I into engagement with the bottom of recesses in bolster 43, as seen in Figures 5, 6 and '7.

Secured to the lower face of die 4I is a ring 56 which operates to turn the flange of the plate downwardly when the dies are brought together.

Lower die 58 is mounted for vertical reciprocation within a ring 59 secured to plate 42. Die 58 is urged upwardly by a plurality of comparatively heavy compression springs 60 which seat in recesses in the die and react against bolster 44.

Die 58 and ring 59 are provided with cooperating l stop faces 6I and 62 respectively which cooperate to limit upward movement of die 58 under the influence of their springs. The upper edge of ring 59 is provided with a comparatively sharp beveled edge 63 for a purpose that will presently appear.

A gripping plate 64 is associated with the lower die and is carried by a bolt member 65 which is mounted for vertical reciprocation in an aperture 66 in plate 42. A plurality of compression springs 61 urge plate 64 upwardly and engagement of the head of bolt 65 with the lower surface of plate 42 limits the upward movement of the gripping plate.

As seen in Figure 3, die 4I is provided with an annular rim 69, and die 58 is provided with a circumferential groove 1I. f These parts cooperate to provide a corrugationabout the bottom of the container. Dies 4I and 58 are also provided with recesses 12 and 13 into which gripper plates `cesses inbolster 43. lmovement just described, ring 5B movesdownof lwhich .is vprovided. .witha camface 19 and .a

bly isillustrated in Figures 3,v 4, 5, 6, and 7. -With reference kto Figure 7, blank .38, which has .been bentinto corrugatedformby `the primarydie assembly previously described, is introduced'in the proper position. between gripper plates 45 and 54. Initial movement .of the dies toward each other causes A.the gripper plates to firmly clamp blank 38 between them as shown in Figure 4..

When 'the dies undergo further closing movement gripper plate 54 recedes into recess 13 (as seen in Figure 5) against the action of springs 61, the latter being weaker than springs .48.

While` this stage of die operation is taking place,l

gripping plates 45 and 64, moving downwardly as a unit, vsmoothly .engage blank .38 with the inclined wall .of the ydie158and causes the yside 'wall of the blank to close into a. plurality ofpleats along .the corrugations. produced inthe primary die assembly.

Furtherclosing movement of the dies brings ring49 into engagement with the peripheral portion of the blank 38 .and'bends it into a horizontally directed' flange asseen in Figure 6;

As seen in Figure 7, both gripping plates have receded into their recesses and `dies4l and-158 have rmly clamped blank .38 between them, thereby forming'a peripheral groove around the bottom of the pie plate and also firmly locking the pleats in the side wall .in closed position.

:During movement .of the partsfrom the position shown Yin'Figure 6to that shown in Figure?, ring 49, which forms 'the yilange on the plate,.'did

not vundergo movement with respect to the lower die assembly, but merely moved upwardly with respect tosthe upper 'die assembly, and as seen in `Figure 'I a clearance has developed between the heads of bolts 5I .andthe bottoms of there- During the stage of die wardly and forms a peripheral downwardly extending ilange on the horizontal .flange oi' the plate just described.

e During the laststage of die movement (shown in Figure .3), dies '4i and!! move downwardly as aunit against the action of spring 50. This condition is illustrated in'Figure 3, wherein a. clearance is seen to `exist between stop faces k6I and I2.y During this stage of movement thebevelied .portion of circumferential vlip .5I engages the downwardly .turned yportion of the iiangexand .forces it inwardlyfwithy the result that whenthe Vparts attain the position shown inFigure 3, .the

`flange locksthe pleatsin place. The pleats are preferably so spaced asto form guides for cutting the' pie into parts.

In Figures 8, v9 and 10, l'. have illustrated a modied form of ring assembly for turning under the ange of the plate. Withl continuedreference to these figures, wherein like reference characters designate parts which are similar to those employed in the die assembly just described, a ring 15, having aplurality of radially directed guideways therein, is secured to the lower face of ring 4| in any suitable manner. Mounted foiguided sliding movement in the guideways of rings are a plurality ofring segments 15, each cam-facel.` The .bottomfedge of ring 15 is provided wlthacurved cam racen. I'Iheouter end of each Asegment 'f1.8 iseprovidedI with La, curved `-recess. .in-which .an endless coil spring i is Vmountedsozas to constantly urge the segments inwardly.

Therst partof .the closing `operation oi' this dieV assembly is exactly the same-asthatjust described in connection with. the` ilrst form `of the invention, and in lFigure .8. the parts are illustrated inthe conditionthat `exists when ring. 49 hasformed aange on :the plate `and ring 15 is moving downwardly over. the peripheryrilange` to bend it .down asfshown.

VInlf'ligure 9 dies 4i `and 59' have ,fully closed upon the. blank and spring 84 has moved segments. inwardlythereby causing cam facesf19 to engage the down-turned flange. and bend it inwardly. l

. During the nal stage of die closing operation,

dies14i. and 59zmove downwardly as a unit against the action of springs, and as this occurs the `upper end of ring engages cam face Blof seg- :ments-wand pushes them outwardly. When the kdieillustrated in, Figures 3 to rl inclusive is very advantageous when plates` having va `narrow rim are' formed, vwhereas Ythe die vassembly shownv in Figures.; 9 and IO-.iaparticularly valuable when plates .having a vwide flange-.are -being formed. Ledgeft 3a provided on ring. lneed not. be as high inlthisform .of the invention asin the rst vform of theinvention-.because.segments 15 operate to initially turn the` flange under.

The pressures employed inthe process are com- Vparatively'low and the dies are .not heated and vtherefore the process may be readily carried out atlow cost.

As previously pointed'out, anysuitable form of circular or generallycircularblanks `maybe employedzto produce the pie plate of thev invention.

-I preferably employ, however, -a noncircular -blank' in order .to acompensate'for the drawing ,action that Atakes. place when `the ypleats are formed. InFigure 11 I have shown one .form of .the inventionl whereinv a blank yfora-pleated plate .having-sixpleats is jprovided with a .lobe 9| for each'pleat.

Although the dimensions for the rvarious forms of the plate will varyfsomewhat, depending upon vthenumberofpleats .and the exact size o f platel desired, Ihave -inFigure l1 illustrated dimensions that may-be .employed for'an eight inchdiameter Iplate. In the center of :theplate is inscribed a Ycircle 92. having ,adiameter of approximately 211. 1 inches .Y and laid ofirat equi-distant .points about` the circumference of thecircle are six points 93.

',Swungfrom each point, on a radius 94 of vapproximately 5H inches.v isf an 'arc' 95.

vadjacent arcs intersect theydefine a lobe 9|.

Wherever `With this'plate, which-has six pleats, the primary die is provided with faces to form sixpleats, `and the blanks Aare so fed intol the die as to bring lobes-9l opposite vertical portions I5 and Il of thedie so that Awhen the plate is formed the lobes ywill supplythe material taken up .by the pleating.

primary dies,'for instance, a plurality of resiliently `15 depressible positioning ypins may be located on the upper or lower die so as to cooperate with the blank and hold the same in proper position with respect to the die. The pins are preferably mounted in openings in the die so that they will retract when the dies come together. If desired, however, a device for cutting the blanks into proper form may be associated with the primary die so that as the die is closed they will cut the blank into the proper form with the lobes in alignment with the pleat forming parts of the dies. Also, if this method is employed the paper may be fed from rolls directly through the primary and secondary dies, the two being located fairly close to each other side by side, so that while the final die is operating upon one plate, the primary die will becutting and forming another plate. The primary dies are preferably so formed as to only partially sever the blank from the sheet, with the result that the rolls may intermittently advance the paper stock into the primary die and then carry the partially formed plates from the primary die to the secondary die. The secondary die is preferably provided with knives for completely severing the blanks from the sheets and a suction cup or the like may be employed for removing the completed pie plate from the secondary die.

In Figure 12 I have illustrated a further modication oi blank that may be employed. In this form of the invention circle 92 is provided as previously described, and radii 94 are swung from points 93 on circle 92 to provide lobes 9|, as before. An additional set of radii 9B are swung from point-s 91 on circle 92 to provide portions 98. Dotted lines 99 indicate the lines along which the pleat forming bends are produced in the material of the blank, and it is apparent that as the pleats are turned over flaps 91 will provide the necesary extra material to compensate for the drawing action. The plate accordingly possesses a smooth outer edge of circular conguration. ff

In Figure '13 there is illustrated a further modification of the blank shown in Figure 12 wherein portion 98a is provided with a sloping portion IUI. These forms of blank are very advantageous in compensating for the drawing of the material when the pleats are being formed and particularly when the peripheral portion of the ange is turned under, as they provide the extra material needed where the flange is folded over at the pleats.

It should be observed that the pleated plates produced in accordance with any of the forms of my invention possess considerable inherent rigidity by reason of the pleats, which function as reenforcing elements. Therefore, quite satisfactory pie plates and other receptacles having suicient rigidity to render them self-sustaining may be made of plain paper stock or paper stock laminated with metal foil in accordance with the methods and apparatus of -my invention.

The invention may be embodied in other specinc forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come Within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to'be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In an apparatus for making receptacles of sheet material having a closed bottom, a side Wall and a peripheral flange, a pair of dies mounted for movement toward and away from each other and having cooperating faces for forming said bottom and side wall of said receptacle when a blank is clamped between them, one of said dies having a die ring mounted for movement with respect thereto, said die ring cooperating with a face on said other die to form said flange on said receptacle when said dies are moved a predetermined distance toward each other and prior to clamping said receptacle between said dies, said one die also having a peripheral surface for bending over said ange when said dies are moved a further distance toward each other, said die ring being operable to resiliently maintain said flange in contact with the cooperating face on said other die and undergoing movement with respect to said one die when said dies are moving said further distance.

2. The apparatus described in claim 1, wherein said die ring is resiliently urged toward said other die and is provided with means for stopping it substantially flush with the flange-bending surfaces of said one die.

3. The apparatus described in claim 1, wherein said other die is carried by a movable actuating member and a second die ring is carried by said actuating member for turning over the bent portion of said flange when said dies are brought into a final position.

4. In an apparatus for producing from blanks of sheet material receptacles having a closed bottom and a side wall, a -pair of die supports mounted for relative movement toward and away from each other, a bottom and side wall forming die rigidly secured to one of said die supports and a second bottom .and side wall forming die mounted for movement upon said other die support in a direction `substantially parallel to the movement of said die supports, a ring-like die encircling said first die and resiliently mounted on said one die support for movement with respect thereto, said ring-like die being operable to form a ange on said receptacle when said die supports are moved toward each other and prior to clamping of said blank between said dies, resilient means for urging said seconddie toward said first-named die, said dies being operable to form the bottom, the side wall, and the flange of said receptacle when a blank is clamped between them, said dies being operable to move as a unit with respect to said other die support after they have clamped said blank therebetween, and die means, rigidly carried by said latter die support, and cooperating with said ring-like die, for performing a further forming operation upon said blank when said dies move as a unit toward each other to a predetermined degree.

5. The apparatus described in claim 4, together with a second die means rigidly supported by said one die support and operable to perform an intermediate forming operation upon said blank when said die supports are moved toward each other.

6. The method of making a receptacle having a closed bottom, a sloping side wall and a flange, the side wall having a plurality of closed pleats therein to take up surplus material, which comprises taking a blank of sheet material and operating upon it in a set of primary dies to form said bottom andsaid sloping side wall and simultaneously providing a plurality of bends in All said side wall to cause the material to assume u a corrugated form, each corrugationbeing made up oi' an inclined portion and a vertical portion, and then applying pressure to said blank in a direction solely normal to the plane of the bottom of said receptacle in a second set of dies to cause said corrugations to fold into closed pleats and to form said flange.

'1. In an apparatus for making from blanks of sheet material receptacles having a closed bottom, 'a side wall and a flange, a pair vof.-dies mounted for relative movement toward and away from each other and having cooperating faces for forming said bottom, said side wall and said flange when a blank is clamped between them,

fil

and a ring assembly longitudinally movable with respect to one of said dies, for bending the peripheral portion of said iiange back upon itself, said ring assembly comprising a plurality of inwardly and outwardly movable segments and having resilient means for causing them to automatically move inwardly and turn said ilange under when said dies have moved a predetermined distance toward each other.

8. In an apparatus for making shallow receptacles of sheet material having a closed bottom, a sloping sidewall, and a peripheral flange, a pair of dies having surfaces for forming said bottom and sidewall when said dies are closed upon a blank, a ring-shaped die element mounted on, but movable with respect to, one of said dies and having resilient means for urging it toward the other of said dies, for automatically bending said ilange on said blank as said dies are moved toward each other and prior to clamping said blank between the latter, and a further die member mounted for synchronous movement with said one die and encircling said ring-shaped die element, and means for so mounting said further die member as to automatically turn down the peripheral portion of said flange as said dies are moved toward each other and subsequent to the forming of said flange by said ring-shaped die element.

9. In an apparatus vfor making from blanks of y sheet material receptacles having a closed bottom, a sidewall and a iiange, a pair oi'- dies mounted for relative movement toward and away from each other and having cooperating faces for lforming said bottom, said side wall and said flange when a blank is clamped between them, and

a ring assembly longitudinally movable with respect to one of said dies, for bending theperipheral portion of said ange back upon itself, said ring assembly comprising a plurality oi inwardly and outwardly movable segments having means for causing them to move inwardly and turn said iiange under when said dies are moved a predetermined distance toward each other, and a ring die for forcing said segments outwardly and folding said peripheral portion of said iiange upon itself when said dies are brought into a ilnal receptacle-forming position.

10. In an, apparatus for making from blanks of sheet material receptacles having a closed bottom, a sidewall and a iialge, a pair of dies mounted for relative movement toward and away from each other and having cooperating faces for forming said bottom and said side wall, when a' blank is clamped between them, a ring die.mounted on one of said dies `and mounted for movement with respect thereto, saidring die beingy operable to form said ilange on said receptacle when said dies are moved toward each other a predetermined distance, and prior to the'elamping o'isaid Vblank between said dies, a plurality of inwardly and outwardly movable formingV members Vmounterlron saidone die and located outwardly ofl said ring die, resilient means acting upon said forming members and urging them inwardly and-normally holding them in contact with the outer'suriaee ot said ring die, said forming members being operable to automatically move inwardly and turn flange inwardly when said ring is moved relatively to said one die sufficiently to bring its outersurface out of the path of travel of said forming members.

11. In a die assembly, a 'primary die support and a secondary die support mounted for movement toward and away from each other, said primary die support having provided thereon a die for forming the bottom and sidewalls of a paper receptacle or the like and cooperating with a` similar die provided on said secondary die support, said die of said secondary support being movable with respect thereto and having resilient means urging it toward said other die, a die ring carried by said primary die support and mounted for movement with respect thereto and having resilient means urging it toward said secondary die support, said die ring beingiresiliently urged toward said secondary die support and being operable to formV the flangey oi' said receptacle when said die supports are moved toward each other to a predetermined ernt, and priorto the clamping of said blank tween the dies of said primary and secondary die supports. and means provided on saidsecondary die support for turning the flange of said receptacle inwardly upon itself after said dies have clamped said blank between them and after said die supports have moved to'- ward each other a predetermined distance against i 

